Manufacturing alloys.



UNITED STATES oFFIoE. HANS KUZEL, 0F nADEN, NEAR VIENNA,TAUSTRIA-IHUNGARY. i murncrunnm nmmrs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

Application filed March 26, 1907. Serial No. 364,731.

To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, HANS KUiEL, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, anda resident of Baden, near Vienna, Empire of Austria-Hungary, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Manufacturing Alloys, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such aswill enable others skilled in the art ti) which it appertains to makeand use the same.

The manufacture of alloys, all or some of the constituent elements ofwhich consist of refractory metals by the usual thermic methods offersby itself great difliculties owing to the high melting temperatures ofsuch metals and to the great liability of their being attacked in themolten state by oxygen and also nitrogen. These difficulties become thegreater the higher are the requirements as to the exactness of thecomposition of such alloys which have to contain only small quantitiesof one of the constituents and the more perfectly any contaminationshave to be avoided that may be absorbed in melting, such as carbon,crucible material etc. These difficulties are avoided by the processdisclosed in my prior application of January 4th 1904, Ser. No. 239637by that the several constituents of the alloys are mixed in the form ofcolloids and then-after having been brought if desired to the shaperequired by mechanical working etc.-are reconverted into the ordinarymetallic state by heating them to a white heat in the ordinary manner orby the electric current in an inert or preferably in a reducingatmosphere under increased or reduced pressure or in 'vacuo. As is seenin this case all the constituents of the alloy are used in the colloidalstate. The present invention realizes an essential technicalsimplification and cheapening of the said method by the fact thataccording to the present invention not more than one constituent of thealloy to be made, need be made use of in the colloidal state While anydesired number of other components may be used in the form of theessentially more readily obtainable crystalloids, viz.: in the form ofany desired metal compounds for instance in the form 'of salts oxids,hydroxids, acid hydrates or halogen compounds and are combined with thecolloid separately or in suitable combination prior to further treatmentby suitable means whether by precipitation, for instance by salts, acidsor bases etc. or by the simple contact effect between the solution of ametal compound and the colloid. i

The process may be carried out for instance as follows:

(a) To a colloidal solution or suspension of metallic tun stencontaining 50 grams of the metal per liter in any desired colloidalform, for instance as sol or gel. a dilute solution of platinum chloridcontaining for instance 0.5 grams of platinum. is added drop by dropunder continuous stirring and then the whole is stirred or shaken forsome time. Then so much of dilute alkali for instance a solution ofcaustic soda is added until a neutral or a just beginning alkalinereaction becomes perceptible and then the colloid is precipitated by anelectrolyte for instance sodium chlorid. On then examining the separatedclear liquid it will be found free from platinum. The colloid on thecontrary contains all of the platinum in most uniform distribution andprobably in the form of an absorption compound. The plastic massobtained after filtering may be converted into the ordinary orcrystalline state in the known manner above referred to for instance byheating to a white heat in hydrogen after having been, if desired,brought into the required shape, and then constitutes an alloy whichcontaining 0.5 parts of platinum per 50 parts of tungsten and is at thesame time perfectly homogeneous.

(b) If in the above example instead of platinum chlorid, a titaniumsalt, for instance a titanium chlorid soluble in water, or aluminiumchlorid, is used correspondingly, exactly proportioned alloys oftungsten and titanium or tungsten and aluminium respectively areobtalned. If both chlorids are used simultaneously the alloy containsbesides tungsten also titanium and aluminium simultaneously.

0) If the example (a) is modified in such a way that 1 gram of sodiumsilicate is added to the colloid and if at the same time 2 to 3 gramssal ammoniac are added then after continued stirring or shaking theentire hydrate of silicic acid has been absorbed by the colloid and theclear liquid separating after precipitation is free from silieic acid.Also the silicic acid can be first liberated by an equivalent quantityof hydrochloric acid and may then, after neutralization for in- 1colloid nevertheless absorbs the boric acid,

stance by ammonium-bicarbonate,

by alkalies, acids, nor electrolytes for instance boric acid or ammoniumborate, the

to wit, with constant conditions of concentration and the same nature ofthe colloid a given. quantity of the colloid absorbs alway a definitequantity of the crystalloid, that is to say, the absorption proceedsuntil in the liquid the state of equilibrium has formed that correspondsto the systems existing. Therefore under the same conditions ofexperiment always the same proportion of the absorbed crystalloid willbe obtained in the precipitated colloid. The absorption of dissolvedsubstances by colloids is subject to certain laws which have beendetermined among others by the investi ations of van Bemmelen.(La'ndwirthschaf tiiche Versuchssta tioncn, V 01. 35, 1888, pa es69-136, Zeitschmft fa'lr Amrganische ie, Vol. 23,

ages 111-125 and 321-372 of 1900, see also i ifiller "Allgemeine Ohemieder Colloidefl'page 129 and the following, further The Journal oftheAmerican Chemical Society, Vol. XXVI, No. 10, page 1383, Whitney &Clarke, Migration of colloids).

It is'obvious that in all the examples above given instead of onecolloid only, a mixture of different colloids may be used and alsoprecipitable crystalloids (for exam lo, solule titanium chlorid,aluminium ch i orid, so-

- and '9 r A with non precipftabl'e ones (such as boric acid or ammoniumorate, for instance). In this simple way one ma secure thedesired exactproportions man a oy avoiding any contamination whatever. These alloysmay be used for the manufacture of filaments for electric glow lamps, ofelectric resistance wires, as also of articles of all kindsl I do notclaim in this application incandescent lam filaments consisting of themetals or a oys herein described, as' such filaments form the sub ect ofapplications filed by me. Nor do claim in this case broadly, the.colloidal process of making lamp filaments, as that forms a subject ofmy application Serial No. 239,637.

I claim as my invention:

Process for manufacturing alloys consistmg 1n addlng to a colloidal susension of a metal a solutlon of a crystalloida compound, mix ng the twoconstituents intimately, addlng to the whole a precipitant, permittingthe precipitate to deposit whereby an absorption-compound of the colloidand a crystalloid is formed, separating the de osit from the supernatentliquid, freeing suc deposit from liquid and brmging the same into thedesired shape and heating the mass whereby it is reconverted into thecrystalloidal state, substantially as and for the, purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

. V HANS KUZEL. Witnesses:

T. GEORGE HARDY, I

ALvEs'ro S. Hoops.

